We attended the listening session for Post Malone's upcoming mixtape "August 26." Here's what we learned.

We attended the listening session for Post Malone’s upcoming mixtape August 26 last night, and it was lit. Hosted in an upscale lounge in Manhattan, the single room setting was populated with a mix of music journalists, record company representatives, musical artists and girls brought in by the artists. Kitty Cash and FKi took care of DJ duties for the first half of the event while the crowd got good and liquored.

Midway through the event, Post Malone appeared. He took photos and generally soaked in the vibes before stepping up to the turntables to take give everyone some background on August 26, which is named for the release date of his debut album. He revealed that most of the songs we were about to hear were not finished being mixed yet. Post is a fantastic host, probably in part due to the infectious, grill-filled grin he’s constantly sporting. Seeing him chain smoking cigarettes and drink 40 ounce Budweiser bottles in an upscale club doesn't hurt either.

Despite being somewhat unfinished, August 26 sounds fantastic. We’ve put together five specific things to expect based on what we’ve heard. Click here or the gallery above to get things started.

Be sure to check the HotNewHipHop Snapchat story (@HNHHsnaps) for more previews of the mixtape.

Post Isn’t Abandoning His Core Sound (Yet)

When “Go Flex,” came out, you could immediately hear Post’s music progressing. Whether it’s due to his label’s influence or his own desire to go for a more poppy/folky sound, the acoustic guitars were in full effect on “Go Flex.” Add the stomping drums during the chorus, and you’re halfway to Mumford and Sons (side note: never go full Mumford & Sons).

It seems strange to using one song to judge an artist’s progression, but when you can count an artist’s songs on one hand, that tends to happen. However, the songs Post played from his mixtape last night (mostly) brought it back to the wavy, trap-influenced R&B that we first heard on “White Iverson,” “Too Young” and “TEAR$.” Evolution is good, but we’re happy to hear more from Post Malone in his current iteration before he evolves his sound.

The Mixtape Will Have Lots of Features

For the most part, Post Malone has risen to fame on his own sound, without any “Tuesday”-esque co-signs to vault him into the highest stratosphere of fame. His biggest collaborations have been with producers, most notably FKi. All that is going to change with this new mixtape, probably helped by his newfound fame.

During the listening session, we heard guest verses from seasoned emcees like Trae Tha Truth and 2 Chainz to new school artists like Lil Yachty and Larry June. As expected, Post Malone’s vocal stylings mesh perfectly with different emcees. He also linked up with Jeremih for a track, promising that after the song comes out, “there’s going to be a lot of babies being born in nine months.” Jaden Smith and Justin Bieber round things off for a truly impressive guest list. Based on what we heard, we think Post Malone will be doing hooks for a lot of artists in the near future.

Some of the Features Haven’t Been Decided Yet

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Towards the end of the listening session, a lot of the songs ended after only a minute or two. Post Malone explained this by saying many of the mixtape’s songs still have “open verses,” which is surprising since the project is supposed to be coming out very, very soon. Maybe they’ve already gotten a lot of submitted verses and are just choosing what goes where, but fans can expect even more features than the ones we’ve already named.

At one point, Post asked the crowd who they’d like to hear on a particularly dope joint. After listening to the responses, he picked out one in particular. “Y’all want me to get Thugger?” the Texas singer grinned, showing off his grill. “Ooohh, Thugger on that shit would be hard, huh?” It’s a testament to Post Malone’s self-assuredness that he thinks it’s well within his reach to garner a Young Thug verse in just a few days. And it just might be possible.

Post Picks Up the Guitar Again

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Earlier in the article, I said that Post Malone was returning to the sound that he blew up on. While that’s true for most of the mixtape, there are a few songs that lean more towards where Post seems to be heading with his music. Taking a lot of influences from his non-hip hop favorites, he draws on his earlier music as an acoustic guitar-wielding Texan and meshes that with his new sound.

You can hear it on the mixtape’s first track, which has a disco-country vibe to it. You can also hear it on a later song, which he described as some “Jim Morrison shit,” referencing the late singer of psychedelic rock band The Doors. Post proudly proclaimed he played the guitar on the track, and we can bet it won’t be the last time he calls upon his non-singing musical talents.

One theme that has remained consistent throughout Post Malone’s released work is his consistent references to athletes. From “Holyfield” to Allen Iverson, he clearly loves sports. For one of his tracks, which he recorded last year but is only just getting released, he uses NBA player Monta Ellis as the centerpiece for the song. When Post recorded the song, Monta was still on the Dalls Mavericks (Post’s hometown squad), but he still has enough love for Monta to release the song even though Ellis is now on the Indiana Pacers.

He also has a song for the late Atlanta emcee Bankroll Fresh, which he describes as a “celebration, not a ‘rest in peace’ song’.” It’s truly pretty upbeat, although it’s a bit strange to hear someone tributing Bankroll who wasn’t a close collaborator with him. The two have did share the stage while performing “Hot Boy” at Fool’s Gold Day Off, and their paths have undoubtedly crossed at other festivals.